The state’s top Republican House member was facing questions Friday over his role in a confrontation last fall in Montana involving a car deal gone bad, but Kurt Daudt wasn’t talking much.

He released a three-paragraph statement saying his role in the incident — in which a friend pulled Daudt’s gun and wound up charged with three felonies — was to try to defuse the situation.

Daudt, 40, of Crown, who became minority leader a year ago after one term in the Minnesota House, said that he was handcuffed initially as police sorted things out but that he soon was told he wasn’t being accused of wrongdoing.

His friend, identified in court documents as Daniel Benjamin Weinzetl, 24, of Cambridge, was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and criminal endangerment.

A voice-mail box for Weinzetl was full Friday and not accepting messages. A callback number was left, but he did not return the call.

A spokeswoman for Daudt said he gave an interview about the incident Thursday to KSTP-TV and would not be talking about it further Friday. According to the criminal complaint from the Park County attorney in Livingston, Mont., a woman identified as Kim Roy called 911 on the afternoon of Sept. 7 to report that someone had pointed a gun at her family.

Police responded and were told by Roy’s husband, Brock Roy, that he had sold a white 1966 Ford Bronco to Daudt and that Daudt had come to pick up the vehicle. The two had argued over the car’s condition, Brock Roy said, and Weinzetl subsequently pointed a handgun at him while Kim Roy and their two children were nearby, at which point the Roys drove away, the complaint said.

Authorities later stopped the Bronco and a white Lexus being driven by Daudt and Weinzetl and placed them under arrest, according to the complaint.

Daudt, who collects antique cars, told KSTP that he asked for his money back for the Bronco and that after that, Brock Roy became verbally abusive with both him and his friend and also physically abusive with Weinzetl. He said Weinzetl felt afraid and retrieved the gun from Daudt’s car without Daudt’s permission or knowledge.

“I certainly don’t take this lightly. I can’t defend his actions and I certainly don’t condone them,” Daudt said of Weinzetl, “but ultimately, he obviously reacted to the other gentleman, and that’s how it ended up happening.”

Daudt said Weinzetl did not point the gun at the Roys. He said the weapon — which he described as a “small little .380” — had bullets in the magazine but not the chamber. It was not fired.

Weinzetl was released on $50,000 bail later in September. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in October, according to court records.

Weinzetl has had previous run-ins with the law, including a dozen traffic offenses since 2006 and a conviction for assaulting a police officer who was there to arrest him after a fight at a home in Cambridge. A criminal complaint said the officer feared enough for his safety that he tried to use a stun gun to subdue Weinzetl, but it didn’t work. Weinzetl was convicted of a gross-misdemeanor charge in the altercation, spent time in the workhouse and was on probation until January 2013.

The Roys also could not be reached for comment.

Daudt said he usually doesn’t carry his gun but had it with him for protection on the road trip. “I don’t think handguns should be used for solving problems. It’s not why I own a handgun. It’s for my own personal protection and when I feel that my life is potentially threatened or I’m being threatened. That’s the only reason I own it,” he said.

The incident occurred two days before Minnesota lawmakers met in a special session to deal with storm relief, but Daudt said he didn’t come forward about the incident at the time because he was mostly a witness to what happened and not directly involved. He said he didn’t consider it relevant to his job. He said others in the House Republican leadership whom he consulted agreed with that view.

House minority leader is one of the four top legislative jobs in the state. He or she often leads the attack on the majority party during floor sessions and typically is part of the inner circle huddling with the governor at the end of session to craft final deals. The minority leader also is in charge of recruiting House candidates and raising money and coordinating strategies for campaigns.

Daudt said he acted appropriately in the Montana situation but that, particularly because of his position, he realized it might leave him open to political attacks.

“I’ve got political opponents down here at the Capitol that are going to want to make more drama and more controversy out of this than it probably deserves,” he told KSTP.

There didn’t appear to be much political fallout Friday. The House Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus and state DFL Party declined to comment. A message left with the state Republican Party was not returned.

This report includes information from the Associated Press. Doug Belden can be reached at 651-228-5136.

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